All Things Considered

Commonly referred to as "ATC" and a staple for afternoon commutes, NPR's nationally syndicated afternoon news magazine brings you closer to home with the presence of WAMU's local host.

Since May 3, 1971 All Things Considered has been produced every day from NPR's headquarters in Washington, D.C. Featuring a mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features, "ATC" produces 2 hours of fresh content every day for hundreds of public radio stations around the United States.

Elliott Francis

Local Host, All Things Considered

Francis has worked alongside some of the most influential media executives in the U.S. during his 25 years as a news anchor, including FOX News President and Chairman Roger Ailes, former CNN Executive Vice President Ed Turner, and the founder and former CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, John H. Johnson. In 2002, shortly after joining the ABC news affiliate in Washington DC (WJLA-TV) as the morning co-anchor, Francis was thrust into the rigors of live, non-stop coverage of the DC sniper shootings and investigation, sometimes speaking 8-9 hours unscripted. A skilled interviewer, Francis once convinced singer John Denver to go "on-camera" with details of his upcoming DUI trial.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has picked the state's attorney general, Republican Jeff Chiesa, to fill the seat vacated by the death of Democrat Frank Lautenberg earlier this week. Chiesa says he will not seek the seat in a special election set for October. The choice is unlikely to please Republicans in Washington, who would like to hold the seat for more than five months.

The National Security Agency attained Verizon's customer's phone records via Section 215 of the Patriot Act. That section has spurred some intense debate since 2001. Audie Cornish talks to Jeffrey Rosen, president of the National Constitution Center and a law professor at the George Washington University, for an explainer of this controversial law.

Thursday, on the 69th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, many have gathered on the coast of Normandy to remember and honor the Allied soldiers who fought their way through Nazi defenses and went on to liberate Europe. There is controversy about a French plan to build 75 wind turbines offshore here. Critics see it as desecration of hollowed ground. Promoters say the wind mills will be at least 6 miles from the coast. They will still be visible but will help France meet its renewable energy goals and create thousands of jobs.

In We Need New Names, NoViolet Bulawayo tells the story of Darling and her friends, desperate children who live in a shantytown called Paradise. Although the early chapters are told in a child's voice, there is no whimsy in this novel of a turbulent Zimbabwe.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The Myanmar opposition leader is being criticized for cooperating with the former military rulers who kept her under house arrest for nearly two decades. But supporters say she is trying to show she has what it takes to lead the nation.

Three for a Song is a performing trio with a love for the 1930s, during which some of the greatest songwriters who ever lived wrote music that would enter the canon of American popular song. But the group has recently added a quirk to its repertoire: performing songs that were never popular.

Syrian troops and Hezbollah militants have recaptured the town of Qusair. The town near the Lebanese border had been under rebel control for more than a year. Rebel commanders confirm that their forces have retreated to two villages north of the town. Kelly McEvers

Lawyers for Jefferson County, Alabama, and its creditors have reached a deal to end what is the largest municipal government bankruptcy in U.S. history. Both sides were in court earlier Wednesday to hash out the details.

NPR's Tom Goldman talks to Robert Siegel about the possible suspensions of up to 20 Major League Baseball players for their connection to a South Florida lab that allegedly provided performance-enhancing drugs to athletes.

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